The Commission is partnering with the Australian National Health Performance Authority in the primary care patient experience survey development. This work builds on a number of tested and used tools. The Australian project has had a technical advisory group made up of survey experts and survey users who have considered the value, or otherwise, of potential questions. The Commission was represented on this group.

The draft survey received from Australia in March 2015 underwent an initial feedback process with the pilot PHOs, the MOH, and the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners and was revised to reflect the New Zealand health care environment.

Point Research was commissioned to cognitively test, refine and evaluate the draft survey tool. The testing was undertaken between April and June 2015.

Cognitive testing is used to understand how patients understand and interpret questions and instructions. The aim is to find out from patients if:

the survey instructions are easy to understand

the questions are easy to understand

the questions are relevant

the survey enables them to talk about what they think is important

any important questions are missing.

The assessment includes cultural appropriateness and tests for suitability given patients’ experience of New Zealand’s primary health care context. We’ve also asked their views on the survey length, use of their email or mobile contact information and completing the survey online.

The approach includes undertaking three phases of cognitive testing with patients from the enrolled populations of six Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) participating in the process, and refinement of the tool between those rounds.

The first phase involves cognitively testing the questions with patients in fifteen focus groups from six PHOs.